The top line: The eSafety Commissioner had sought a temporary injunction ordering X, formerly Twitter, to block 65 websites containing a clip of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel being attacked until Justice Geoffrey Kennett determined whether the social media platform breached any laws. An order was made and extended in April, but Justice Kennett on Monday rejected an application to extend the injunction further before a hearing in the Federal Court on Wednesday.
The bigger picture: The knife attack was declared a terrorist incident and several teenagers have since faced court charged with related offences, including the alleged attacker.
The key quote: The commissioner’s barrister Tim Begbie KC said X’s policies permitted it to take posts down globally and it did so when it suited.
“Global removal is reasonable when X does it because X wants to do it, but it becomes unreasonable when X is told to do it by the laws of Australia,” he said, characterising the company’s position.
What else to know: While the company blocked Australian users from viewing the clip, the court heard virtual private networks (VPNs) had allowed users to circumvent geographic restrictions and view the material anyway.
Source Agencies
